The Burden of Change
by Nekayne
Summary: Sonja has to adapt to the changes in life as her best friend, Aden, marries Odette and settles down, leaving her without a sense of security and balance. When she comes across an interesting find, she can't help but think that Fenith Island isn't as safe as they thought it to be, and she fears confronting Aden and upsetting his new life. Post-plot. Rating may change. R&R!
1. Chapter 1::Proposal

**Author's note: Hey everyone! Welcome to my first fanfiction, centered around Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny. You'll be following Sonja post-plot, and you will see many of the beloved Fenith Islanders making their appearances and contributions. There may or may not be post-plot spoilers concerning requests or events, but I may be changing the circumstances around the events and the dialogue. I am hoping you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. :)**

* * *

After a year of being a soul trapped in Aden's body, Sonja found it to be both a blessing and a burden to be back in her own form.

Right now, she only saw it as a blessing. All of Fenith Island was shrouded in the quiet of the night with the exception of the Three Sisters Inn. Warm light pooled out of the windows and rambunctious laughter came from within. The whole town had gathered to celebrate the return of Sonja's body and Aden's new freedom. Lively music rested in the background of the excited chatter, glasses were clinked together, and there were enough smiles spread through the inn to last for centuries.

The ability to have her own conversation was something Sonja desperately missed and quickly took part in as soon as she could. She sat herself on the opposite side of the room from Aden, who was currently telling a story and gesturing to the table he was speaking to, and found she was able to say whatever she wanted without hearing her counterpart pipe in. No one to argue with over simple things, or to hear their little complaints, whines, mumbles – nothing. It was refreshing.

"How does it feel, Sonja?" The resident slacker sat down in the last unoccupied chair at the table Sonja was stationed at, sliding herself beside Electra. A broad grin stretched across her face and her red hair ruffled atop of her head. It seemed like Sierra could hardly sit down all night as she tried to catch up with every single person at the inn. Sonja had glanced her way a few times through the night to see her flitting back and forth between conversations.

"To be in my own body?" Sonja asked, watching Sierra nod. "It's like having been on a very long vacation and finally being able to sleep in your own bed again." She smiled before folding her arms onto the wooden table, "In other words, fantastic."

"Glad to hear it!" Sierra lightly giggled as she clapped her hands together, "Now we can finally have girls' nights! It's hard to invite you to things like that when Aden is forced to come along."

"I bet."

"A girls' night _does _sound like a fun idea." The blonde blacksmith to Sonja's left spoke up, leaning herself forward against the table. "Mainly because it's at night."

"So if it were a girls' morning, you wouldn't come, Elena?" Sierra asked, a smirk growing on her face that Sonja and Electra couldn't help but giggle at.

"No way!" Elena shouted, causing both of the girls to giggle even louder, "And you know that! So if you want me to come, it can't be any earlier than three in the afternoon!"

"Don't worry, Sierra was just teasing." Electra assured as she smoothed out the middle of her pink dress, "We wouldn't make you get up earlier."

"Damn right you won't!"

As more talk about a possible girls' night arose at the table, Sonja rested her chin in her hand, elbow against the table as she looked around the inn. Her glance shifted lazily from each table, curious as to what everyone was up to, until her eyes settled on Aden sitting across the room. She watched him as he listened to Bacchus, but feeling someone looking at him, his attention turned towards Sonja. She gave him a gentle wave of her free hand and, to her mild surprise, Aden excused himself from his table and made his way across the room towards her.

"Hey, girls." Aden greeted the table, to which they chimed a greeting in return before excitedly carrying on with their plans. Aden circled behind Sonja's chair, setting a hand on the back of it before leaning down towards her shoulder, "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure." Sonja nodded. She stood up, her chair sliding back before she followed Aden outside into the cool, night air, closing the inn doors behind them.

"Nice night, huh?" Aden asked. His eyes averted upwards towards the sky, watching the stars flicker against the dark blue sky. "Good time for a get together like this."

"C'mon, Aden."

Aden's gaze was brought back down to Sonja who had her arms crossed over her chest, "What?"

"I know you didn't bring me outside just to talk about the weather." Sonja let her back rest lightly against one of the support beams in front of the inn, "What's going on?"

Aden briefly glanced at the ground before crossing his arms over his chest like Sonja. He kicked at a loose pebble before breaking the brief silence that fell about them, "Y'know how I said I wanted to marry Odette, right?"

"Yep." Sonja nodded, "We've talked about it quite a bit."

"Kind of hard not to when you're in my head nagging me to tell you what's wrong."

"Hey!" Sonja piped up, shooting Aden a hard look, "I don't nag!"

"Whatever, that's not the point." Aden said, brushing off the subject before they steered themselves off track.

Sonja huffed, but let it go. She was sure she could badger him about it later. "Alright, so you want to marry Odette. What about it?"

"I want to propose tonight."

Sonja blinked, her green eyes widening in surprise. "T-tonight?"

"Yeah." Aden swallowed nervously as he kept his eyes towards the ground. "It just…it feels right." He let out a light sigh, "I don't know, I can't explain it."

"Well, you love her, right?"

"Of course. But what if…" Aden slowly raised his eyes from the ground to meet Sonja's, though he appeared to be having a hard time covering up his worry, "What if she doesn't feel the same?"

"I doubt that's a problem." Sonja scoffed as she loosened her arms from their crossed state just to wave a hand lazily in the air.

"What do you mean?"

"You're so oblivious to girl's feelings." Sonja smiled as she looked towards her childhood friend, "I learned that by being in your body for a whole year."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Odette has feelings for you, Aden." Sonja spoke a little quieter, though she doubted anyone inside could hear them over the sound of their own laughter and music. "It might not get through your thick skull, but I can see it. When you're around, she has a little more bounce in her step, a perk to her voice, a different smile…but of course, you would never notice these things."

"Hey, how am I supposed to be able to pick out a bounce in someone's step?"

"Regardless, I don't think you have to worry."

Aden looked back down at the ground. He slowly nodded, "Yeah. I think I'm ready, then. Thanks, Sonja."

"Anytime."

"One more thing, though, before you go back inside."

Sonja blinked as she stopped pulling herself out of her relaxed position against the support beam, "What is it?"

"Could…could you ask Odette to come outside? I don't want to propose in front of everyone…" Aden nervously rubbed the back of his head, a pink flush of embarrassment apparent on his cheeks even in the darkness of the night.

Sonja lightly giggled, "Sure. You owe me one, though."

"Yeah, yeah. Add it to my tab."

Opening the inn doors, Sonja was about to walk in, but stopped in her steps as she almost bumped right into the purple-haired chef that was on her way out. They both recoiled slightly before shooting the other an apologetic look.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Odette!" Sonja apologized over the noise that flooded out of the doors.

"No, that's ok! I didn't expect you to be there." Odette piped up, her head shaking back and forth.

"Good timing, though. I was just about to get you."

"Oh?"

Sonja gently placed a hand on Odette's back before guiding her outside. She gave Aden a quick wink before leaving the two alone and shutting the inn doors. Hopefully no one would go looking for either of them. The last thing Aden needed was to be interrupted. She was sure his heart was already going a mile a minute.

The pink-haired girl led herself over towards the bar to get herself another drink and perhaps exchange a few pleasantries with Maerwen, who had made herself comfortable there for the majority of the night. She couldn't help but think about Aden, though. Was he ok? Was he saying the right thing? She was positive Odette wouldn't turn him down, but the pair were both equally hot-headed when the wrong thing was said. One slip-up and they would have to make amends before Aden could attempt his proposal again.

Her thoughts ran through her head as she leaned against the bar. Outside, her friend's life might make a drastic change and in turn, hers would too.

Having her own body back was a blessing but also a burden, because now she couldn't stop her best friend from moving on without her.


	2. Chapter 2::The Find

"I took care of the flowers for you, Violet."

"O-oh, thank you, Sonja!" Violet called from behind her desk which was currently housing a mountain of paperwork. There was a bit of anxiety in her soft voice from the work, but she tried her best to cover it up. Sonja knew Violet loved to tend to her flowers, but with all the medical reports piling up, it didn't hurt for Sonja to lend a hand. With Odette's wedding now a few weeks in the past, Violet's bridesmaid duties had been finished, and now it was the normal every-day flow for her.

Sonja ducked out of the doorway of the clinic and returned outside into the late spring weather. A bored sigh escaped her lips as she walked in front of the church and plunked herself down on the white stone steps, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. Over the last few weeks, life had taken quite a number of twists and turns. Sonja had been nervous about Aden's proposal to Odette at the inn that night, as when they both came back inside, neither one had said anything regarding any proposal. However, later on when the party came to a close, Aden had let her know that Odette had said yes and they would alert the town through invitations rather than taking the shine away from the true purpose of that get-together.

It was an exciting time, but also a busy one, and Sonja was exhausted by the end of it all. Not only that, but she had to move out from the home her and Aden shared since they arrived at Fenith Island to make room for the newlyweds. She knew this was going to happen. Her had Aden had discussed it at length during the nights they couldn't sleep, or when she was aware that he was a little troubled. Of course then it was nothing but talk thrown up in the air. Now that it had happened, it was a little surreal and even a little depressing. For a whole year she wanted nothing more than to have some space from Aden. Now that she had it, she hated it.

The original plan was for Odette and Sonja to switch living arrangements – Odette would move in with Aden, and Sonja would take her old room at the inn. However, an opening appeared at the church as Gerard finally got fed up with Pandora not paying her rent. It seems even a priest's patience could run thin, but Sonja recalled him saying he simply couldn't handle his kindness being mistaken for foolishness. Now Pandora was in Odette's old room and Sonja was residing at the church.

Farther from the new married couple, which she oddly enjoyed and hated at the same time.

"What a lovely morning it turned out to be, hm?"

Breaking from her thoughts, Sonja looked over her shoulder to see the tall priest standing by the church doors, his brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She gave him a faint smile before looking back out into the connection of sky and sea that she had been transfixed with. "Yeah, it's nice out." She took in a breath of the morning air before audibly exhaling, "Thanks for everything, father Gerard."

"Now don't you fret, my dear! It's my pleasure!" Gerard piped up as he gave a gentle wave of his hand. "It's awfully nice to have you around, and Quinn and Kelsey like you very much."

"They're good kids."

"So," Sonja could hear Gerard move closer and shuffle himself down onto the step beside her. He rested his chin in his palm much like she did and looked out towards the calm sea, "I can't help but notice you have a certain slump in your shoulders lately."

Sonja glanced at Gerard out of the corner of her eye, trying not to appear too taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't help but notice that you aren't as lively as you once were. Particularly, before the recent nuptials of Aden and Odette."

Ouch. Bull's-eye.

"You aren't…harbouring any feelings towards Aden, are you?"

Sonja's chin slipped out of her palm, startled by Gerard's sudden question. Feelings for Aden? Definitely not. They were like brother and sister. Two peas in a pod. But romance? Never.

"No, no, it's not like that. Aden and I are just friends." Sonja said as she collected herself. "This is just a big change, that's all. We were practically attached at the hip."

"You still are, my dear." Gerard said. Sonja watched as the priest picked himself up from the steps and began to retreat into the church, seeming to have gotten the answer he wanted, "The wonderful thing about a good friendship is that space doesn't create space."

Space doesn't create space. Sonja thought about Gerard's words as she heard the church doors open and shut behind her. She could give Aden the space he needed to begin his new life, and there still wouldn't be a rift between them? She could understand the sentiment, but found it hard to believe. Their friendship was based off of being together all the time. There was never a period where they were without each other's company, at least not for long. She hadn't realized it, but this was the longest the two had been apart in all their years of friendship.

"Yo! Sonja!"

Sonja lifted her eyes towards the elevator that connected the church cliff to the port. A familiar face strode towards her with a large grin and a hand waving in greeting. Red hair spiked up all over his head, and red fuzz dusted along his chin. With his golden goggles on his forehead, harpoon at his side, and signature grin, it was hard to miss Joe in a sea of people.

"Hello, Joe." Sonja greeted with a lazy wave, "How are you?"

"I'm alright. I was comin' to find ya, actually."

"Oh?"

"I thought maybe you and me could go train up. Y'know, fight some monsters."

Sonja tilted her head to her side and straightened her back, tickled by the idea of Joe fighting. He had a lot of energy, there was no arguing that, but actual combat? She found it hard to imagine. "You want to fight monsters?"

"What, is that a surprise?" Joe asked as he set his hands onto his hips, "Besides, you haven't had the chance to fight since you've been back in your own body, right? Y'need to get used to it again."

There was some truth in Joe's words. It's been a year since Sonja was able to be in complete control of any basic motor skills. What if her body couldn't move the way it used to? The Masked Man had used her form, sure, but her body also had been lying flat on a bed for a number of days before she had her soul returned to it. The idea of getting rusty was startling, and Sonja stood herself up with such haste that Joe flinched.

"Alright, we'll go train. Somewhere not too challenging, though. I don't want to have to take care of you."

"Hey! I can hold my own, just watch!" Joe smirked, "So, where should we go, then?"

"We can visit one of the sunken islands with Ymir." Sonja replied as she walked down the church steps and began on her way to the eastern side of the island, Joe following closely behind. "Monsters like to crawl around on them. Not too hard, and sometimes you can find a thing or two."

"Sounds good!" Joe said enthusiastically. He couldn't help but laugh excitedly and break out into a run towards the cliff where they would board Ymir. Sonja simply shook her head before running off after him, feeling like she was chasing down an excited child.

If anything good had come of the last few weeks, it's that Sonja still had full control over the large golem, Ymir. She had been the one who found his seed and demanded it be planted, therefore being the main cause of his life. Just because she was physically unable to do so meant nothing. Lately, she had only been boarding the golem just to tend to her monsters in the barn and check on the crops on the islands she had raised, so being able to guide Ymir around the sea was a welcome change.

The pair of adventurers carried themselves through the archway between Aden's home and the Inn before descending down the stairs to the small cliff where Ymir was docked. Joe marveled at the sight of the large golem, his head turning up and down as he took in Ymir's size. He had seen the golem plenty of times but he had never been on it.

"He's impressive, huh?" Sonja asked as she brushed by Joe. She placed her hands onto the concrete fencing on Ymir's platform and hoisted herself over in one fluid motion, "and much more fun than traveling by boat."

"I bet." Joe nodded. Noticing Sonja had already boarded, Joe followed suit and maneuvered himself over the fencing and onto the platform. His eyes scanned the golem once again, moving from the barn doors towards the stairs and eventually up to the sprout on top of his head. Joe scratched the back of his own, "So, uh, how exactly does he move?"

"By command." Sonja gestured Joe to follow, which he did, and the two ascended the stairs to the next platform. Joe was quick to turn his attention out towards the sea, excited by how high up they were and the adventure that was in store for them.

"I stand here," Sonja said, trailing Joe's attention back, as she stood upon the concrete dial, "And give Ymir his instructions. The dial acts as a sort of pressure point – he's made of rock, after all – and so it focuses his attention."

Joe nodded in understanding, "That's pretty cool! Think I could try?"

"Ymir won't listen to anyone but me." Sonja shrugged, "But trust me, riding him is a lot of fun."

"Let's get going, then!"

With Sonja's command, Ymir began to move, shaking the ground beneath him. Joe stumbled from the movement and wiggled his arms at his sides to regain his balance. Once Ymir began walking through the ocean, his sailor's legs helped him stay balanced, and he found himself running about the golem to look at every possible sight there was on their way to a sunken location.

As the noon sun reached its peak, Ymir slowed to a stop once he had arrived at their destination. Joe, who had made himself comfortable by laying on Ymir's grassy surface with his hands behind his head, tilted his head back to look at Sonja, "Are we here?"

"Just about." Sonja stepped off of the dial and motioned Joe to follow her again, "Come here."

Picking himself up, the red-head followed Sonja up the top flight of stairs and onto the sprout, confusion etching onto his face. "What's up?"

"Hang on."

Joe blinked, but followed Sonja's command and, like her, wrapped his arms around the tall sprout. As if on cue, Ymir ducked himself down into the ocean, emitting a yell of surprise from Joe, which Sonja was quick to laugh at. They were eventually submerged, but only for a moment. Ymir straightened himself back up, his arms over him as a small land mass was held within his hands.

"W-what the—" Joe looked up, slowly letting go of the sprout and staring up at the island that was raised above them with wonder.

Sonja laughed at Joe's expression, bringing his attention back to her, "You _said _you wanted to battle monsters. Change your mind?"

"Hell no! Let's do this!"

* * *

The sun began its descent in the painted sky, casting long shadows over the two tired adventurers. They sat themselves on the grassy ground of the island they had raised hours before hand. Not long ago it had been littered with monster gates, but the pair saw to that.

Only after this day of battling did Sonja realise that she may have doubted Joe's skill a little. He had a rough start, as his spear was mainly used on fish and not monsters that come charging at him, but picked it up rather quickly. He lacked technique and defensive maneuvers, but if he kept going at his current rate, he could probably wield his spear with envious skill.

Sonja couldn't judge too much. She had a rough start as well, since it had been some time since she had been in battle. She opted for using a long-sword in this battling session for a chance to get her body moving the way it used to, but magic was her strength, so she took a few hits at the beginning. Her battle instincts eventually came back to her, thankfully, and so she decided that next time she came out, she would return to using magic. Until then, early morning jogs would be on the agenda.

"We should probably start heading back."

Sonja was pulled out of her thoughts as Joe broke the silence between them. Looking up at the darkening sky, she nodded in agreement, "Yeah, good call. I'm going to check around the island once more to make sure we didn't miss anything."

"Alright."

As Joe headed back onto Ymir, Sonja picked herself up from the ground and began to circle the island's perimeter. It wasn't very big, but the grass was rather long and it was easy to lose items in it. As she came around the opposite side, she began to feel that she would find nothing until the sun's final rays glinted off of something. She squinted her eye against it, but moved forward to see what it was.

Kneeling down, Sonja moved her hands through the tall grass to untangle a single piece of silver. Not much of a prize, but something. She reached forward to grab the ore, but froze in place as she saw what lied mere inches away from it.

Was she seeing things? Sonja blinked a few times to adjust her vision, but found it was perfectly fine. She leaned forward, her hands delicately grabbing the mask that lied on the ground. It was smudged with dirt and cracked from the elements, but she knew what it was from. Its surface was white and the only detail it held was the grey lines that ran vertically under both eye holes. The Masked Man, the one who had taken her body, had worn this.

"Yo! You coming or what?"

Hearing Joe's voice echo in the distance, presumably waiting on Ymir's surface, Sonja scrambled to her feet, either hand grabbing both the mask and the silver. She tucked the mask away into one of the pockets on her waist and carried the silver with her on the way to Ymir. She didn't want to explain to Joe what the significance of a dirty mask was. She wasn't even sure _why_ she picked it up, but she felt better not leaving it there.

"About time." Joe commented as he watched Sonja come up the stairs on Ymir, joining him on the grassy platform. "Find anything?"

"Just some silver." Sonja tossed the palm-sized ore towards Joe and despite him not being prepared, he managed to catch it, "You can have it. I have monsters that can make this stuff by the barrel."

"Hey, thanks!" Joe smiled as he looked at the ore in his hand, glad to have a piece of treasure from their adventure together.

"You know return magic, right?"

"Of course. Anyone going out to sea needs to know."

"We can leave Ymir here, then. Let's teleport back to the island. It's quicker that way, and I might take him out further sometime."

* * *

A flash of green hovered above the church plaza. The pair fell from the light, landing softly on their feet as it disappeared. The street lights on the island were beginning to flicker to life as the darkness of night began to take over.

"That was a lot of fun!" Joe said as he took in a deep breath of the night air, feeling a little more calmed down now that they were back on Fenish Island.

"It was. I'm glad we went." Sonja said as she looked at Joe with a smile.

A silence fell between the two as they stood in the plaza. Sonja watched Joe's grin twitch and drop a bit, as if he were suddenly thinking of something. She cocked her head to the side curiously, "Is something the matter?"

Snapping from his thoughts, Joe shook his head and attempted to put his beaming grin back on his face, but it was only half there, "Nah, no, it's nothing. It's just ah…uh…"

Sonja waited as the silence fell between them again. Joe stared down at her, biting his lower lip nervously before letting out an audible sigh that could be seen lifting a weight off his chest, "It's nothing. Let's, ah, let's do this again sometime."

Not satisfied with the answer but also not wanting to pry, Sonja gave a small nod and paired it with a smile, "Sure. Have a good night, Joe."

"See you later, Sonja."

The pair of adventurers waved as they parted ways, Joe towards the port and Sonja towards the church. She would have pried a bit more with whatever was bothering Joe had her mind not been occupied by the mask in her pocket. Why was it bothering her so much? Aden had defeated the Masked Man and her body was returned. Why was a simple plaster mold so significant in her mind?

Guiding herself to her room, Sonja quickly entered and shut the door behind her, locking it so that she wouldn't be disturbed. She crossed her room and sat down onto her bed before gently pulling the mask out of her pocket and held it between her hands.

_It's just a mask, Sonja. _She thought to herself. _That's all it is._

"That's all it is." Sonja muttered in an attempt to reassure herself. Hearing it out loud had worked, at least for now, and Sonja placed the mask in one of her bedside drawers. Only when she let the thoughts of the mask leave her mind did she realize how tired she was from the day's adventure. She stripped herself of her clothing and, noticing how dirty they were from battling, threw them into the wicker basket by her door. Throwing on a clean, plain night gown, she tucked herself under her covers and pulled on the lamp string to shroud herself in darkness, preparing to let sleep overcome her.

_It's just a mask. That's all it is._


	3. Chapter 3::The Human Library

**Author Note: I'm not really sure if I'll have a proper update schedule with this. It's more or less as it comes to me. Anywho, this chapter does hold a post-plot spoiler (although modified), so heads up!**

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The morning sun shone through the open window of Sonja's room. A gentle sea breeze floated through, both scent and feel stirring her awake. Her eyes slowly flickered open, taking in the sight of the fluttering curtains at the other end of the room before her brain decided to come online and register that it was time to get up.

But her bed was so _comfy._

_A few more minutes wouldn't hurt._ Sonja thought to herself as she closed her eyes. She let out a gentle moan as she rolled over, moving her sheets over her shoulders and nestling her head back against her pillow. She exhaled contently through her nose, ready to drift back off into dreamland.

Something felt…odd.

Sonja opened her eyes back up and her heart suddenly dropped into her stomach as she noticed two sets looking back at her.

The dragon priestess let out a startled scream as she scrambled backwards in her bed, falling out and hitting the floor with a heavy thud. The two children that were nestled beside her began giggling and climbed over to the edge of the bed, their fingers curling around the mattress corner and their eyes and nose poking over the sign to see the young woman slowly putting her weight behind her on her hands, her pink hair dishevelled.

"What are you two doing in my bed?" Sonja asked tiredly, mild irritation pecking at her tone.

"We had nightmares." Quinn moved her mouth over the side of the bed so it wouldn't be muffled by the sheets, her red hair messy from sleep. Kelsey shyly nodded in agreement beside her.

"Both of you?" Sonja sighed as she watched them both nod. She gingerly rubbed at her eyes before picking herself up and dusting off her behind from her fall, "Wake me up next time so I don't get so…surprised."

"You did wake up! Kind of." Quinn said as she sat up on her knees, still looking adorable as ever in her pink pajamas that were dotted with cartoon woollies. "You didn't open your eyes but you went 'yeah ok yeah' and put your head under the blanket."

Kelsey nodded in return as he copied Quinn's sitting position, his own pajamas much like hers, but blue and with buffamoo.

Sonja sighed once again. They tried, at least. She shook her head, "Alright, well, go get dressed. I'm sure Father Gerard is already awake and ready to take you for your baths."

The pair of siblings scurried off of her bed and out of her room, leaving the door opened in their wake.

Sonja moved towards the door, gently closing it as the echo of their feet disappeared down the hall. After it clicked into place, she leaned her forehead against the wood, the events of the day already making her more tired than she would like to admit. Her eyes fluttered shut and she swore she could fall asleep right where she stood.

"That's a good look for you."

Sonja gasped sharply as she spun around, her back pressed against the door and her wide eyes shooting towards the opposite end of the room. A pair of arms rested lazily on her window sill, a head of silver hair ducked in and a grin stretched over his face. "A total mess and taking care of two kids."

"Aden, you creep!" Sonja yelled as she marched over to the window, not caring that her nightgown was wrinkled and one of the straps was hanging off her shoulder. She rested her hands onto the window sill as she glared at the Dragon Knight, "What are you doing looking in my window?!"

"Relax." Aden said carelessly, amused by Sonja's irritation. "I heard a scream and checked to see if everything was okay." He lifted one of his hands and flicked Sonja's nose, which she squinted against, "Should have known it was just you being a scaredy-cat."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sonja retorted with her own flick of her fingers to Aden's nose, "I remember when you used to get scared by your own shadow!"

Sonja wrinkled her nose in agitation as Aden started laughing. How come he always got such pleasure out of making her mad? Goodness, did she ever hate it. It was only now that she realized the length of time that it had been since she had actually spoken to her friend, and how not only yesterday she was moping because of it.

"Of course you pick the _worst_ time to _finally_ come see me, too!"

"Hey, give me a break. It's hard being married." Aden rubbed the back of his head, a habit Sonja knew he was saying something that was hard for him to admit. "Odette isn't exactly 'low maintenance'. I'm taking on a lot of chores that I don't even know how to do."

"So Mr. Dragon Knight finally realises how much his _adorable_ best friend did for him." Sonja toyed, a smirk appearing over her lips.

"Stop calling yourself adorable."

"You're so mean!" Sonja huffed, but she couldn't help but smile. It felt like the weight of depression the last few weeks have caused her finally lifted off her shoulders just by partaking in familiar conversation. "If you have so many chores to do, why are you hanging around out here?"

"Just went out for a walk." Aden said as he shrugged his shoulders, shifting his weight more against the window sill than his feet, "Have stuff to do soon as I get back so I'm taking my time."

"Is Odette finally making you cook?" Sonja smirked, "Since that's the only thing I could _never_ make you do."

"No way, she has too much pride for that." A broad grin stretched across his face, "So you can stop trying. It's a lost cause."

"_You're _a lost cause."

"Ha, ha, ha." Aden mock laughed. He pushed himself from the window sill, his hands following to his sides as soon as he stood up straight, "I guess I'd better start heading back. Don't want to hear any lectures about time management and duties."

"Have fun with that."

"Oh, I will." Aden said as he returned Sonja's sarcasm. He gave a wave as he began to walk off, "See you later."

"It better not be three weeks later!" Sonja shouted out the window to Aden's back. Smiling to herself, she ducked herself back in and pulled the window shut, drawing the curtains over. While it was unexpected, the visit definitely put her into higher spirits. It renewed what little hope she had before that Aden hadn't completely forgotten about her. She wished he had some time to actually spend, perhaps to go to the beach or fishing from the seaside cavern, but perhaps that could be scheduled at another time.

She would let herself have that hope, anyway.

Realizing that she was still messy from sleep, Sonja moved herself to her dresser to get prepared for the day. Her clothing from yesterday was much too dirt-stained to be worn from her battling. Sliding open the drawers, she fetched herself a few standard articles and tossed them onto her bed before shutting the drawer. She stripped herself off her night gown and tucked it under her pillow before putting on clean undergarments. She pulled on her black, cotton pants that cut off halfway over her calves and threw a white tunic over her head. She plunked down onto her bed to fetch a few of her usual accessories from her bedside drawer and, when she opened it up, she froze at the sight of the dirtied mask she had placed in there the night before.

_I had completely forgotten about that…_ Sonja thought as she swallowed dryly. She reached around the mask, pulling out her copper braces and a chain link belt before slamming the drawer shut. She didn't want to think about that wretched find, but she couldn't help it. It occupied her thoughts as she snapped her braces over the sleeves of her shirt at her wrists and pulled the belt around her hips, over her shirt and clipped it together. She picked up a brush that had been set by her bed and began untangling her pink hair.

Suddenly, an answer.

"Pandora!" Sonja gasped to herself. She tossed her brush aside and hastily shoved her feet into her beige boots, lacing them up quickly before darting out the door and out of the church, dashing towards the eastern side of the island where Pandora was sure to be.

* * *

"Ah! My faithful minion." Pandora smiled as she watched Sonja approach her sitting on the edge of the fountain behind the inn. Her purple scarf danced around her calmly and she gracefully pushed some of her silver locks of hair behind her shoulder, her pink eyes always seeming to stare right through someone. "Your visage does not displease me."

"Nice to see you too, Pandora." Sonja smiled. She had always liked the arch-sorcerous, even if her motives were rather skewed. She seemed to hell-bent on world domination, yet her other actions prove her to be too kind and docile to ever do such a thing. Not only was her grace and fluid movements something to be envious of, but Pandora was a fountain of knowledge – something Sonja was hoping could be to her benefit.

"I have some questions I wanted to ask you, but I want them to stay…between us."

"How could a ruler be trusted by the masses if she could not hold the secrets her minions bestow upon her?" Pandora gestured her hands out, making her single sentence to appear more dramatic than it was. "What is it you would like to know, minion?"

Sonja looked over her shoulders, checking to see if anyone had been in a listening proximity, but no one was to be seen. She turned her attention back towards the arch-sorcerous. "Do you know anything about the Masked Man?"

"My mind is a library of many truths and tales. The Masked Man is one of them."

Sonja's chest tensed as her next question spilled out, "Do you know if he has a real form?"

"A 'real' form can be argued." Pandora leaned forward, crossing her legs and letting her elbow rest against her knee, her chin in her palm. "Body, soul, spirit, artifact, totem…all of which can be very real, but some more than others."

"Body, then. Do you know if he has a body?"

Pandora's delicate fingers strummed against her chin. Her pink eyes looked upwards in thought as a gentle hum came from between her closed lips. "It is believed that at one point in time, he did. He was a mere common man, no more acknowledgeable than the individuals we pass on a daily basis."

"What about now?"

"In this present time, I am unsure. My knowledge extends more towards the past." Pandora eyed Sonja curiously, "What brings about these peculiar questions, minion?"

Sonja bit her lower lip, hesitant to answer, but Pandora's stare had a way of dipping into your soul. She couldn't back away without supplying it. "There are just some thoughts I've been having since he has been defeated. I know he had my body because taking one of the Dragon Priestesses would keep their power from inflicting him." Sonja placed her hands onto her hips, her eyes cast towards her feet in thought, "But he didn't _leave_ with my body. Where did he go?"

"The magnificent thing about magic and the dark arts is that the soul can be extracted from the body and may also return to it." Pandora explained, "Or it may return to whatever has been housing the soul. Or—"

"Or?"

"Or if the soul held enough power and resilience, it could simply live without a host."

Sonja gently dug at the ground with the toe of her boot, "Oh."

"Do you not believe his soul was destroyed?"

"Can it be?"

"It is possible, yes." Pandora nodded with a knowing smile, "Considerably more difficult than destroying the host, but very possible. Destroying the host is about ruining its make-up, whether it be striking a body's vital points or shattering an amulet. Destroying a soul is about destroying its power."

"It's power?"

"A concoction of hope, strength, knowledge, and resolve."

"I see…" Sonja said quietly as she stared down at her feet, her toe still kicking against the white stone that paved the ground, "So if those four things were broken down, then his soul would be gone?"

"Precisely." Pandora nodded, her silver hair falling back in front of her shoulders. "I believe I understand your concern, as it is hard to deem an enemy as defeated when you cannot see their form fallen before you, but-" Pandora unfolded her legs and scooted herself off of the fountain and onto her feet, "Look around you, minion. The island is at peace. The very waters around it dare not to do more than to gently lap at its cliffs. The very state of our home should be enough proof of his demise."

After a moment of hesitation, Sonja gently nodded her head before a small smile appeared on her features. "Thank you, Pandora. You really are a great sorcerous."

"A great _arch_-sorcerous." Pandora corrected, her tone turning commanding like it normally was. "Besides, no one would dare launch an attack on such a place where I reside. They would be the fool of a fly to my grand venus fly trap!"

Sonja giggled as she watched Pandora confidently stride down the path towards the beach, taking her leave. Perhaps she was right. Sonja had been there during the final battle – she saw how the Masked Man fell. His exhaustion, his tired gaze, the defeated slump in his shoulders – well, technically _her _shoulders – but it was all there. How much more could a soul be destroyed than that moment? That moment where everything he had meticulously planned had failed?

Yes, it was foolish to have doubt. Sonja couldn't help but start laughing away her nerves as she stood alone by the fountain.

"What are you laughing about?"

For once, Sonja wasn't scared out of her wits by someone coming up from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and turned around as her laughs died down, seeing Joe approach her with his signature grin. "Nothing important."

"Someone's going to think you're crazy if you're caught laughing alone like that." Joe smiled as he closed the distance between the two.

Sonja simply shook her head, dismissing the notion of her being crazy. Had he seen the earlier events of the day, she would be sure he would really think she was on her way to the loony-bin. "What's up?"

"I was heading down to the beach. Figured I'd catch some sun. Summer is coming pretty fast." Joe said as he motioned his hand towards the slope towards the beach. "Glad I ran into you, though. I had something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Sonja tilted her head to the side, her curiosity peaked. "What is it?"

"Uh, ca-can we walk for a bit first?" Joe cleared his throat, "Kinda helps to walk and talk, y'know?"

"Sure." Sonja said with a smile, "Lead the way."

* * *

The pair walked down the path toward the beach and across the beach in silence. Sonja occasionally looked over at Joe to see if he was ready to start talking, but when he said nothing, she remained silent so that she wouldn't upset his train of thought. He did seem rather nervous, but seemed to calm a little with the walk that brought them eventually to the seaside cavern.

Joe eventually stopped walking, and Sonja came to a stop just a few steps before him, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I think here is far enough." Joe said, "Sorry to drag you away."

"No, it's fine." Sonja said as she shook her head, "So, what's up?"

"You know the girl I've been talking to you and Aden about?"

Sonja's eyes lit up with memory. More than once had Joe badgered her and Aden about whom this mystery girl was, and they were as in the dark as Joe was. She hadn't thought much about it, figuring Joe was seeing things. He was rather eccentric as it was. "Yeah, the girl you said you were in love with, right? That was going into our house?"

"Uh, yeah." Joe cleared his throat nervously into his fist as he darted his eyes away. "Yeah, I, uh, I found out who she is."

"Really?" Sonja clasped her hands behind her back, the weight on her feet shifting slightly as she prepared to hear Joe go on about this mystery girl. "Who is she? Do I know her?"

"Y-yeah…yeah you definitely know her." Joe slowly exhaled through his mouth, seeming to grow more nervous with each second. He started to feel his hands get sweaty and wiped them against the sides of his pants, "See, uh, that girl…was you."

Sonja's curious smile dropped from her face. "…What?"

"It was you, Sonja." Joe summoned up the courage to turn his eyes back towards Sonja and he licked his drying lips.

"But," Sonja stared blankly at Joe. What in the world was he talking about? The girl was her? It was impossible. "But I didn't have my body back."

"Yeah, I know. I know it sounds crazy but I know the girl I saw was you!" Joe dryly swallowed as he tried to rebuild his usual confidence. He tried placing his hands on his hips to help. "I know _exactly_ what I saw. It was you – the same face, the same hair, the same eyes – the same everything! I don't know how I saw you, Sonja, I really don't. But I did."

"…I—"

"Look, if you need proof," Joe locked his honey brown eyes onto Sonja's green ones and felt a nervous pit grow in his stomach. There was a new element to his stare –desire that was desperately trying to make itself known. "My heart feels like it's going to burst right now."

Sonja's hands fidgeted behind her back and she felt her palms become clammy. Her lips parted to say something, but she felt her mouth become dry and the words get stuck in her throat.

"So, uh," Joe started up again, seeing Sonja rather lost for words, "That girl I said I loved…that was you. I don't know how you feel about me but I know that I really, _really_ want to date you." Joe seemed to weaken with the latter part of his sentence, his nervousness getting the better of him, and he took a deep breath to keep his knees from shaking. "So…would you please go out with me?"

_What._

Sonja felt an uneasiness stirring in her stomach. The things Joe had said about this mystery woman, how she was perfect, delicate, how he wanted to protect her – that was all about her. She almost felt embarrassed by his confession. That amount of attention had never been given to her before, partially because her and Aden had been so close that it was often assumed they would become an item, and partially because she just assumed she wasn't dating material. Being told the exact opposite was overwhelming.

"I-I'm sorry, Joe." Sonja eventually managed to croak out after a deep breath, "I just…I can't think of dating anyone right now."

The look of hurt crossing Joe's face made Sonja's heart feel heavy with guilt. His brows dropped and she could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed down the rejection. He tried to grin, but it looked forced and awkward, "I-its okay. Really! It's too soon…"

A sudden spark twinkled in Joe's eye as his grin disappeared from his face, "Wait."

"Hm?" Sonja's brows knitted together in confusion, "Wait what?"

"You said you can't date me now…" The cogs turned in Joe's head, and his regular smile began to stretch across his face, "But that doesn't mean you can't date me later, right?"

"Uh-"

"Oh man!" A fit of excited laughter escaped Joe as he enthusiastically punched the air. "I am so pumped! I am going to woo you like _crazy_!"

Sonja began to shake her head, her hands following suit in front of her, "Oh, Joe, I don't think that's a good idea—"

"I'll see you later, Sonja!" Joe interrupted, not hearing Sonja's words over his own excitement, "I've got to hit the drawing board!"

As quick as his epiphany came on, he darted away, laughing as a new spring entered his step.

"…Oh…kay?" Sonja blinked as she stared at where Joe once stood. At least she had a moment to be alone to digest all of what just happened. Her stomach was still turning with nervousness. Butterflies were wildly flapping around and she placed a hand to her middle to try and calm them. Joe was handsome – there was no denying it. His face was rather manly with a strong jaw line and cheekbones and his chin garnished with red fuzz, and his smile had its own unique charm. His confidence and extraversion was rather attractive as well, but Sonja had never seen him in a light other than a friendly one. She didn't know how she felt about him at all. Heck, she never even thought about dating in general. Her life was always so consumed with other things that it never crossed her mind.

Sonja let out a tired sigh as she ran her fingers back through her hair, "Guess I'm going to learn what 'wooing' involves, huh?"


	4. Chapter 4::Miss Fenith Island

**Author's note: This chapter ended up much longer than I intended! I got a little carried away but I really enjoyed writing it, so I hope you enjoy reading it. I can't resist adding in some silliness to Fenith Island and it's inhabitants, and what better way to do that than with one of the festivals?** **I would also like to thank you all for the reviews, favourites, and follows! You're all amazing and I'm glad you are enjoying the story. :)**

* * *

Summer hit Fenith Island with full-force as soon as the first of the season hit. The sun bore down on the inhabitants of the island without a single cloud to dull the harsh light. It was hard to damper the spirits of the islanders. Instead of complaining about the heat, they donned lighter apparel and enjoyed spending time at the beach. Today, they also prepared themselves for the yearly Miss Fenith Island contest – the competition where the ladies of Fenith Island models their swim suits and tried to earn votes to be crowned the winner. A beauty contest, in simplistic terms.

Sonja didn't care much about earning herself votes or trying to win, but she did like the idea of spending time on the beach with everyone on the island. Standing there all day got boring, and often the girls would find things to do, whether it be sun bathing or building sand castles or splashing about in the water. What starts off as a day full of nerves turns into an afternoon of fun, and Sonja couldn't wait.

She definitely couldn't enter when she was in Aden's body. The idea of him sporting her swimsuit made her laugh.

Before she could head down to the beach, she had something else to do. Sonja had sat herself on one of the tables in the church garden facing the ocean, the mask that had been bothering her carefully held between her hands. Her beach bag, packed and ready to go, was placed at her side.

As she carefully turned the mask in her hands, giving it a lazy inspection, Sonja recalled her conversation with Pandora from the day before. The arch-sorcerous has put Sonja's worries to rest, and now she couldn't help but see the mask as a silly reminder of her over-reaction. She didn't know how it stayed intact, but the mask was a simple item that had found its way into the ocean and, in turn, settled onto the sunken island. It was sheer coincidence that she found it.

With a heavy sigh, Sonja drew her arm back and promptly threw the mask. She watched it fly through the sky in an arch before descending into the ocean with a small splash. That's the last she would have to see of the blasted thing.

Now with the last of her worries gone, Sonja pushed herself off of the table, shouldered her bag, and began to make her way to the beach where she was sure the other girls were already waiting.

* * *

Sonja's walk took her through the tree-lined paths until she came down the slope that led to the beach. She could see some of the girls already lining the shore, as well as Father Gerard standing beneath the shade of the palm trees that stood off to the side of the beach. The ballet box was placed upon a simple wooden table and so far looked untouched. She was sure Quinn had decorated the box, as 'Miss Fenith Island' was written out with glitter and crayon drawings of flowers and suns were surrounding it.

"Why, hello there!" Gerard's voice drew Sonja's attention away from the ballet box. She lifted her head to see the priest make his way towards her in greeting, "Here to enter the Miss Fenith Island contest?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be fun." Sonja said with a gentle shrug of her shoulders, "And it's an excuse to spend the day on the beach."

"As long as you don't mind being looked at." Gerard laughed as he wiggled. He certainly had odd gestures, which Sonja was wary of when they first met, but she learned to accept them.

Gerard pointed past Sonja's shoulder, and her eyes followed. "You should go change, then, and join the others."

Sonja nodded and dismissed herself from Gerard. She walked over to the changing rooms and pushed open the first door to her right. As soon as she looked into the change room, she stood frozen in the doorway when she saw trunks rather than bikinis.

"Sonja? W-what are you doing in here?"

A shriek escaped Sonja's lips as soon as she figured out what she had done. Embarrassed, the pink haired priestess quickly shook her head as if to try and make the situation go away, "I-I'm sorry, Bismark! W-when I was in Aden's body we w-would go in this one! My mistake!"

The small brown-haired boy laughed nervously under his breath. His eyes drifted towards his feet, his shy nature rising from the awkward encounter, "It's o-okay. I just wish I had more to show you…"

Sonja took that moment to study Bismark. He was normally covered by layers and long shirts and had large glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, but all of that was traded for a pair of beige swimming trunks and a piece of thin rope tied loosely around his neck. His hair swung over his blushing face, but Sonja could honestly say that it was for no reason. Despite his small stature, there was a faint tone to Bismark's body. If one studied him long enough, they could see the faint line of abdominal muscles forming underneath his rib cage and his pectorals slightly rising.

"No, you actually look much better than I expected!" Sonja croaked out nervously as she dug her thumb underneath the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

"Really…?"

Sonja watched as Bismark's head rose from his feet and he looked back at Sonja, his face red with heat. What was she saying? She shouldn't be standing here looking at Bismark in the change room! Before she could fumble some sort of dismissal, she saw James and Joe turn out from one of the corners in the change room as they talked, only stopping when they noticed Sonja in the doorway.

"Oh, Sonja! Good timing." The blonde of the two came to meet Bismark's side, Joe following behind him. This did nothing to help Sonja's embarrassment from her mistake. Now _three_ of them where there to witness it, and from the smirk on Joe's face, it looked like he wasn't about to forget about it.

James held up a pair of mint green swimming trunks that he had been holding onto, seeming much too relaxed about the situation in comparison to Bismark, "I have two pairs of trunks but I don't know which ones to wear. A woman's opinion would help." James held them out next to the light blue ones he had already been wearing, "Which ones do you think look better?"

"B-blue!" Sonja's face began to flush as she stood tensely in front of the three boys. It would have been easier if they had just said nothing and asked her to leave! Now they were making this mistake far too memorable. Gathering what she had left of her wits, Sonja promptly shouted, "_I'm leaving!_" and raced to the correct change room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Sonja let out a huff as she lightly tapped her forehead against the blue wooden door. "That was _way_ too awkward."

"What was?"

Upon the sudden realization she wasn't alone in the room, Sonja turned around to see four of the female islanders - Lily, Odette, Sierra, and Pandora. At least she was in the right room this time. She relaxed only slightly as her mind fumbled to make up some sort of answer.

"Uh, ah, G-…Gerard."

The girls seemed to nod and 'ah' in understanding. Gerard was always so eccentric that it was easy to blame any questionable encounter on him. Sonja mentally wiped a sweat from her brow and walked further into the change room, setting her bag within one of the dividers. She pulled the privacy curtain across and she began changing into her pink swimsuit. She had always been fond of her swimsuit – the one piece's straps wrapped about her neck and cut low on her chest, the neckline frilled with a lighter pink, and another bikini piece underneath for a bit of extra coverage. Her stomach was cut out in a large diamond-shape, and her hips and chest were accented with white stenciled floral patterns.

Listening in on the casual conversation the other girls had, Sonja decided to come out and join in. She couldn't help but study their own swim suits – each interesting and matching their personalities and style. She briefly thought about how she would enjoy a ruffled suit like Lily's white one, but dismissed that as soon as she thought about being compared to Lily. She was a lot bustier than Sonja, though Lily almost seemed oblivious to this fact.

Noticing Sonja was done changing, the girls looked over at her as she joined their circle of conversation. A smile stretched onto Odette's face as she looked over her swimsuit, "You're rather conservative, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. What's wrong with that?" Sonja asked sheepishly as she looked down at herself, then back to Odette. Odette was clearly less conservative with her orange bikini that had cut-outs around her chest.

"Nothing is wrong with it, but it's summer!" Odette cheered happily, "It's time to show some skin!"

"I think her swimsuit is pretty sexy!" Sierra interrupted with her boisterous voice. She came forward before Sonja before poking her fingers at her exposed tummy, "Showing off for someone, huh?"

"What?! No! Hey, watch your hands!" Sonja slapped away Sierra's hands and jerked back as the playful clerk groped at her breasts. Jeez, she was unpredictable.

Sierra laughed as she backed up from Sonja, seeing nothing wrong with her actions, "Just checking out the goods! Making sure they're ready for sale, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, knock it off!"

"I already did that with Pandora." Sierra commented as she gestured towards the silver-haired sorcerous. Sonja cocked her head to the side as she saw Pandora nod in confirmation.

"How…does that come up in casual conversation?"

"Sierra wished to know the secrets of my swimming attire." Pandora said as she gestured downwards to her blue swimsuit, "As I use my magical prowess to change my clothing into what I wish them to be."

"That…doesn't answer my question." Sonja said as she slapped a hand to her face, embarrassed for the both of them, "Though I guess I'd rather not know."

Laughing, the five girls exited the changing rooms with their towels in hand and walked towards the shore of the beach. The noon sun shone brightly and warmed the sands beneath their feet. Sonja noticed that they were the last to arrive as she looked around to see who was there. Maerwen, Electra, and Violet were sitting on their towels as they talked. Elena was asleep against the outer wall of the seaside cavern, her hands behind her head and her form shaded by the palm tree beside her. Bismark and James were sitting on their towels further down the beach and also appeared to be talking, the other two boys, Joe and Aden, splashing about in the shallow water. Closer to the line of palm trees near the path away from the beach, Quinn and Kelsey were in the middle of a game of tag while Jocelyn fondly watched, possibly thinking about her children back home. Bacchus and Beatrix reminisced about times gone by, and Mikoto had joined Gerard's side.

Sonja tossed her towel out and placed it upon the sand, Lily doing the same to her left and Sierra to her right. Sonja glanced over to where Aden was messing around in the water, watching him getting splashed by Joe, and thought about going over to say hi. She felt drawn to spend some time with him, but she knew if she went over now that she would be forced into their games. She didn't feel like getting in the water quite yet. Surely he would be there for a while – she could soak up a bit of sun first and join him later.

"Alright!" Sierra caught the girls' attention as she stood up with her hands on her hips in an authoritative fashion. "Beach season is finally here! To celebrate, we will make the perfect sand castle!"

"Oh my, that sounds like fun." Lily said happily as she clapped her hands together in front of her chest, "Count me in."

"Me too." Sonja said with a smile as she looked between Lily and Sierra.

"I'll pass." Odette said lazily as she laid down on her towel and rolled onto her stomach, "I'm going to do a bit of sunbathing."

"Er," Pandora looked at her delicate nails before glancing back at the girls awaiting a response, "I will…supervise. The ruler of the world is not to lift a finger when she has a fleet of minions to do her bidding."

The three girls laughed as they allowed Pandora to be their supervisor. They began their work of gathering sand into a pile, chatting and laughing happily as they did so. They took their turns shaping the sand and designating areas for other towers and walls, deciding to make it a larger with Sierra's persistence about it being perfect. Pandora chimed in every now and then about what needed to be added or fixed, and she finally decided that the castle needed to be covered in finery (which translated into 'rocks and seashells' to Sonja).

Sonja stood up and brushed the sand off of herself before leaving to look around the shore for anything that could decorate their sand castle. She scoured the damp sands and bent down every once in a while to pick up choice rocks and seashells, and even a few sticks she thought they might have a use for. She walked further during her hunt, and before she realized it, she was at the other end of the beach where Bismark and James had situated themselves.

"Hey there, Sonja." James greeted as he watched the pink-haired girl collect shells just a few feet in front of them, "What are you up to?"

"Oh, hey you two." Sonja smiled as she stood back up, her arms cradling her pile of finds. "I'm finding stuff to decorate a sand castle with. We're making one." Sonja looked down the beach to where they were still working away, then looked back towards James and Bismark. "Do you guys want to help?"

"Sounds like fun." James stood up from his towel and looked down at Bismark who seemed to have a permanent flush to his face, "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I think I will." Bismark nodded before he stood up as well. He walked over to Sonja and took some of the pile out of her hands to help her carry it, being careful not to drop anything in the process, "It's been quite some time since I've built a sand castle."

The three of them walked back towards the girls, James picking up a few things Sonja missed on the way back. During the short time she had been gone, Elena had woken up from her nap and joined in on the fun. While she still seemed a little groggy, that didn't stop her from making a golem out of sand to 'protect' the castle.

"Ah! More minions. Wonderful." Pandora chimed as she saw Sonja return with James and Bismark, each carrying a pile of seashells and rocks within their hands. "Our production time will surely be cut down. Now! Bedeck this castle so that I may proudly rule over it!"

The group laughed but carried on with their fun. Their castle was eventually constructed – towers of sand were connected to walls and the castle sat on the inside. Poorly made golems sat around the perimeter with tiny rocks for eyes, and there was even a little town made outside of their castle kingdom. Shells and rocks decorated the castle, and as a last decoration, Sierra stuck a stick in the top of the castle to act as a flagpole.

"There!" She chimed happily as she dusted off her hands, "I now call this perfect sand castle complete!"

"It is rather nice." Lily giggled as she looked over the castle, pushing her orange curls over her shoulder as she did so. "Too bad we couldn't live in it."

"Sleeping on a sand bed?" Elena groaned as her palm met her forehead. She ignored the bits of sand that rubbed off her hand and fell upon her nose, "No thanks, I'll pass."

As the group began to talk about what the inside would look like, Sonja looked up from the castle and over towards the other end of the beach. She saw Aden and Joe standing on the shore, no longer engaged in a splash battle, and she took this as a good time to go see him. She excused herself from the group and stood up before heading down the shore to her silver-haired friend.

Noticing Sonja approaching, Aden smiled and looked away from Joe as he waved towards her. Joe turned his head and spotting her, he grinned and waved as well.

"Hey, what's up?" Aden asked as Sonja came closer to the two. "Having fun?"

"Tons!" Sonja said with a smile as she came to a stop. "We built a great sand castle. I haven't had that much fun since we were kids."

"Well, we haven't played on the beach since we were kids."

"That's because you insisted on dragging me to monster fields!" Sonja put her hands firmly on her hips, "Good thing, too, because I always had to drag you away when you got hurt!"

"You're acting as if that happened _all _the time." Aden crossed his arms over his chest as he rolled his eyes.

"It's not like it was a rare occurrence. You were ten and way too confident." Sonja sighed wistfully as she dramatically put her hand to her chest, "And your _adorable_ best friend would come and save the day."

"Stop calling yourself adorable."

"You know it's true!"

A call from down the shore caught the trio's attention and they turned their heads to see Odette waving from her sitting position on her towel. Her hand gestured to come over, and they could only assume that she was aiming to grab Aden's attention.

"Gotta go." Aden said with a small smile, "I'll catch you both later."

"Go on, lover boy." Sonja teased as she watched Aden take his leave jogging down the shore to meet up with his calling wife.

Joe looked away from Aden and towards Sonja, a smirk plastered onto his face. Sonja looked back at Joe and a few nervous butterflies began to flap about in her stomach. It had only been about twenty-four hours ago that Joe had confessed his love to her. She still liked him – as a friend – but could she still act that way when she knew what she did? She thought it would be a lot easier to act as a friend to him if he put on a shirt. He was an adventurer, and it definitely showed against his broad chest and toned stomach.

"So did you like what you saw earlier?"

"Joe!" Sonja shrieked as her hands covered her cheeks that were quickly turning red with embarrassment. She quickly left her thoughts behind. "That was an accident!"

Joe grinned as he gained amusement watching Sonja become flushed. He pushed out his chest further as he was overcome with a look of confidence, "If you wanted to see me _that_ badly, all you had to do was ask."

"Oh, knock it off!" Sonja crossed her arms across her middle as she stuck her lower lip out in a pout, "What's with everyone teasing me today?"

"What do you mean 'everyone'?"

"Sierra groped me in the change room and—hey!" Sonja stubbornly stomped her foot against the sand, "I am not telling you about this!"

Joe started laughing at Sonja's expense. He couldn't help it. Her situation was funny, but she didn't realize how adorable she was when she was all flustered. Was this why Aden seemed to pick on her so much? He could get used to it if he got to see her knit her brows and pout in that cute fashion.

"Seems like you need some cooling off."

"What—hey!" Sonja was cut off as Joe scooped her up into his arms. He began walking into the water with her in his arms, and she was left dumbfounded against his chest for a moment.

"Joe! Put me down!" Sonja began to kick her legs and her arms instinctually wrapped around his neck.

"What's that?" Joe smiled as he continued to walk through the waters until they came up to his waist, "Put you down?"

"Yes! Put me down!"

"Alright, then."

Sonja realised her mistake a moment too late. Joe suddenly let go of Sonja, letting her fall straight into the refreshing waters. Her shriek was cut off as she was submerged, and the sudden shock caused her to kick and flail her arms until she found her footing and resurfaced, drenched from head to toe. She heard Joe laughing hysterically and she wiped the water from her eyes before scowling at him.

"Joe, you jerk!" To get him back, Sonja took this moment to push her hands against his chest to get him to fall back into the water. He hadn't expected such a quick counter from her and he stumbled back, about to fall, but not before grabbing Sonja's wrist and dragging him down with her. The two made a large splash as they hit the water, and they fumbled around before they managed to get back up to their feet, laughing all the while. Determined to get the upper hand in their little war, Sonja splashed water up at Joe's face, but he responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and dragging her back down into the water with him.

The water antics continued for a short while until the two came to a stalemate. Their laughing died down as they moved into shallower water on their way back to the shore to let the sun dry them off.

"Y'know," Joe started as their laughs quieted down. Sonja looked towards him as he started talking once their feet came out of the water and reached the damp sands. "You really are adorable."

"What?" Sonja blinked, dumbfounded as she looked up at Joe. Where in the world did that come from? It wasn't until she recalled that she had addressed herself as Aden's 'adorable best friend' that it came back to her. "_Oh._"

"He's really dumb to deny that." Joe said as he saw her work out the reason for his compliment. He nervously cleared his throat before setting a hand on his hip to bring back his confidence. "The way you act when you get teased is so cute that it's pretty obvious."

Sonja dismissively waved her hand before her, "Ah, well, he denies it because when we were kids, one of the farmers saw us together all the time and thought we were going to grow up and get married." She laughed at the memory, "He said, 'make sure you hang onto her, she's adorable!'"

Joe lightly laughed at the story, watching Sonja's features light up as she recalled the past. "So that's why you said that."

"I say it a lot." Sonja shrugged her shoulders, "And he denies it, just like he did back then."

"So, uh, did you expect to marry him…?"

Sonja wrinkled her nose at the question, "No way! We were friends – we _are_ friends – and that's all we'll ever be."

Joe smiled at the response and gave Sonja a wink, "Good, cause I'm really competitive! If someone else is trying to win your heart, I need to beat them!"

"Oh, Joe…" Sonja shook her head, dismissing the notion.

"Hey!" A cheery voice caught the pair's attention, and their eyes were drawn downwards to Quinn that had skipped over to them. "Father Gerard is going to read the winners! Come on!"

* * *

As the afternoon sun began lowering in the sky, sending a golden hue over the beach, everyone gathered in a semi-circle before Father Gerard and the ballet box. A small pile of tallied ballets sat off to the side, and the order was registered in the priest's head as he held no card before him.

"Now is the time to announce the results!" Father Gerard called out loud enough so everyone could easily hear him, "But before I do, I must say that all of you are simply lovely! You definitely made this a difficult choice."

"In fourth place," Gerard paused, giving a moment to increase the anticipation, "is Pandora!"

Pandora promptly flipped some of her silver locks of hair behind her shoulder as she stepped forward, taking her spot as fourth place a few steps away from Gerard, "Fourth is much too low! I believe a recount is in order!"

Gerard ignored Pandora's words. She was a rather dramatic individual and it would soon be forgotten about, as the competition was not a serious event. "Moving on, in third place is Odette!"

Odette hesitated before stepping forward and standing beside Pandora, a bit of confusion playing on her face, "Well, that's a lot higher than I expected, anyway!"

Smiling at Odette's words and surprise, Gerard continued, "In second place is Lily!"

"Oh my!" Lily giggled as she moved forward and stood next to Odette, a smile plastered to her face, "I was pretty close, wasn't I?"

"Gracious, as always." Gerard chimed. "Now, in first place! This year's title of Miss Fenith Island belongs to…Sonja!"

Surprised, Sonja stared blankly at Gerard for a moment before sheepishly stepping up to claim her place. She won? _Her_? She understood that this was meant to be a fun competition, but how in the world did she win? Aside from the fact that her hair was a blush pink, she found the rest of her to be pretty boring. How the hell was she considered to be pretty enough to win?

"Congratulations, Sonja!" Gerard cheered with a broad smile. He placed a little silver tiara a top of Sonja's head, her hair still damp from playing in the water, and put a small red box into her hand. "You win this year's title of Miss Fenith Island and a wonderful prize! I hope to see you all next year, where I am sure you will be even lovelier!"

The islanders clapped for the winner and place-holders as the competition came to a close. The islanders briefly exchanged words before picking their stuff up off the beach and changing back into their usual attire. The girls all gathered and laughed in the change room as they toweled off and talked about their day, and as Pandora made a large showing of how she can change her swimsuit into her usual lavish robes now that she had a crowd. She seemed to have no shame, as she had to become momentarily naked for it to happen, and it prompted a conversation between Sierra and her about breast sizes. Shameless.

As Sonja finished changing into a pair of simple shorts and a light blouse and tied up her usual boots, she combed her fingers through her hair to get some sort of order back. She folded up her swimsuit inside of her beach towel and tucked it away in her bag before pooling out of the change room door with the other girls as they said their farewells.

Sonja waved goodbye to Sierra one last time before turning to walk through the seaside cavern. She stopped in her tracks as she noticed Joe leaning against the outer wall of the cavern, presumably waiting for her. She couldn't help but notice that Joe had his usual pants, shoes, and necklace on, but was without a shirt and was carrying his damp swim trunks in his hand.

"Joe…where is your shirt?" Sonja asked as she shook her head in pity.

"What do I need a shirt for?" Joe pushed himself off of the wall and returned his weight to his feet, "I only came to the beach, and it was hot out. Now," Joe playfully bowed at his middle and gestured an arm out towards the cavern entrance, his other arm with his trunks in hand folding behind his back, "Shall I escort Miss Fenith Island home?"

Sonja laughed, a flush coming to her cheeks from embarrassment from winning such a title. She raised her hand up above her head to pull the silver tiara off.

"Hey, hey! I don't think so!" Joe quickly came forward and took the tiara from Sonja's hands. He gently placed it back upon her head and swept a strand of hair that fell in front of her face to the side.

"Oh, come on, it's silly." Sonja protested as she lightly stomped her foot against the sand.

"This," Joe started with a broad smile as he tapped the top of the tiara, "Is proof that I'm right when I say that you're the most beautiful girl on the island."

Sonja buried her face in her hands, the embarrassment feeling like too much to be seen. "Stop it, Joe."

"I'm pretty smooth, huh?"

"Are you going to walk me home or not?"

Joe laughed as he heard Sonja speak through her hands, enjoying the fact that he was making her embarrassed, "Alright, let's go."

The pair walked through the cavern and through the port, talking about the day that had gone by. Evening had come, and the sun had set, yet its gentle glow didn't quite allow the sky to turn completely dark just yet. Joe followed Sonja onto the elevator up to the church plaza and walked her up the steps to the church doors.

"So, what did you get as a prize, anyway?" Joe asked as he came up on the last step.

"Oh, I didn't look." Sonja dug a hand through her shouldered bag before finding the small red box and pulling it out. She lifted the top off of it before giving a quiet gasp.

"What is it?"

She tilted the box towards Joe so he could see the silver hairpin that laid inside, its end detailed with small silver flowers with crystal centers. "This is an awfully pretty prize for just playing in the sand all day."

Joe shrugged his shoulders, "You earned it."

Sonja closed the box up before putting it away in her bag. She definitely liked it and would wear it, but found it to be a rather extravagant prize for such a playful event. She would have to thank Gerard later.

"Thanks for walking me home." Sonja smiled up at Joe as her hands found the doorknob behind her, "Goodnight, Joe."

"Have a goodnight, Miss Fenith Island." Joe said teasingly as he watched Sonja walk into the church and shut the door behind her. He let out a wistful sigh before turning around and heading back to the elevator, a smile still on his face. He had a blast at the beach, and the cherry on top of it all was Sonja. Those little moments where he got to scoop her up before throwing her into the water, or whenever his hands made contact with her skin before pushing her down were pure bliss. His resolve to woo her was already strong, but it had been re-forged with steel with the desire to be able to feel her soft skin beneath his fingertips again.

Sonja's thoughts were around the board as she walked into the hallway and towards her door. She recalled the activities of the day, unfortunately including the embarrassing ones, but thankfully smiled at everything else. She had a lot of fun, and even thought she felt embarrassed that she had won the title, she was kind of happy about it. She had never been acknowledged as 'beautiful' before, or physically appealing in any sense, although it hadn't bothered her. It was a foreign, uncomfortable feeling, but there was a small sense of happiness there that she had been noticed in that way. As soon as she realized it was a harmless thing, she opened up to the idea a lot more, although shyly.

Sonja opened the door to her room. She sighed happily at the comfort of home, but became frozen solid as her eyes drifted towards her bed. Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach, her throat tensed, and her mouth became so dry that she couldn't let out a single noise.

Lying on her bed, staring at her, was the mask she had thrown into the ocean.


	5. Chapter 5::Comfort

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Long story short, I got fired and got another job, enrolled in school then hated it, and now I'm here in limbo. This chapter was kind of a pain in the neck to write as well cause I kept feeling stuck.**

**Anywho, thanks for all the reviews, favs, and follows as well as your patience! I'll try not to keep you hanging for so long like that again. 3**

* * *

Sonja could feel her heart beat wildly against her chest, desperate to break out. Her breath raced with panic as her legs quickly carried her through De Saint-Coquille lane. She felt like she was going crazy. She had thrown that mask over the cliff from the church garden. She watched it fall into the ocean. There was no possible way it could have sailed its way back onto the surface of her bed. Finding it on a sunken island was one thing. This was completely different. The fears she had previously put to rest came back with full-force, and she could honestly say she was terrified.

Rational thought had left her mind, and it took an effort for her to figure out where exactly she was going. Only when she came to the gentle, turning slope that she realized she was running to Aden's home. The home she had shared with him up until a season ago. As soon as the elevated home came into view, her running came to a gentle stop. She watched the light from a candle flicker in the window and that flickering brought sense back into Sonja's mind.

_I can't go see him._ She swallowed dryly at the thought, knowing very well that it was the right one to have despite not wanting to feel that way. _I can't trouble him with this_.

She commanded her body to turn around, but her feet hesitated and stayed still longer than she would have liked them too before listening to her. She carried herself back up the slope, her thumb resting under the strap of her bag that she didn't have time to dispose of during her moment of panic. She couldn't release her suspicions or theories on Aden, and she definitely couldn't let him know that something wasn't right. He was married. He had other things to think about and to care for. He had a wife and, perhaps someday, he would also have a child. He didn't have time to chase down clues and tales with her. Not anymore.

Perhaps this was the reason Sonja found herself shaking with fear. She and Aden had tackled things together before, big and small, and in those times she may have been scared but never in such a severe way that she was now. This was a sudden realization that whatever it was out there that was playing with her and making her blood stir, she was going to have to face alone.

In the meantime, Sonja couldn't return home. She would not set foot into that church until daylight and perhaps with someone beside her. Someone she could trust who was _not_ Aden. While she began to think about who she could ask to stay the night with, the distant sound of a hammer against tampered steel answered. Her eyes drifted over to the door of the Daedalus Blacksmith. Night had just fallen so Elena was surely up and would be working away until the sun rose.

Sonja walked down the dip in the path until she came in front of the wooden door to the Blacksmith's shop. She knocked her knuckles against the wood, and upon hearing a feminine voice saying it was unlocked from inside, Sonja turned the handle and let herself in.

Beads of sweat trickled onto the Blacksmith's forehead as the heat from the forge licked at her exposed skin. She stood straight from her arched position, her hammer resting at her side and her free hand wiping her brow. Her blue eyes drifted over towards the door Sonja had closed and once she recognized her, a smile curled onto her lips. "Hey there."

"Hi Elena. Sorry to interrupt." Sonja's eyes glanced over to Elena's work, and she seemed to be in the middle of tampering a line of steel into a blade. She saw an order sheet laid out onto the counter, most likely belonging to what she was working on.

"It's no problem." Elena rested her hammer on the floor, heavy side down, and her hand comfortably placed itself on the end of the handle. "What's going on? You seem a little tense."

Sonja stared at Elena for a moment, her mouth slightly agape. Was it that obvious that something was bothering her? She hadn't exactly took a moment to hide it, and was now wishing she would have collected herself and plastered on a smile before coming in. Taking a breath, she let out a nervous giggle.

"Uh, well, I've been having some nightmares." Sonja started as a fake smile played on her face. She hated lying, but she couldn't come out with the truth. Not yet. "And I thought if I spent the night somewhere else, maybe it would reset my mind."

"You wanna stay the night? No problem." Elena shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "I'm not going to be using my bed tonight anyway. Feel free to crash in it."

"Thanks, Elena." Sonja smiled as she felt a bit of her nerves lift from her chest. "You're the best."

"I know." The small blonde picked her hammer back up as her attention started to turn back to her work, "James is upstairs. If you need anything, make him get it for you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Stifling a laugh, Sonja moved herself through the archway towards the set of stairs to take her to the second level of the shop, the sound of a hammer hitting steel starting up again as she did so. She had been on this level a handful of times and wasn't unaccustomed to the layout, which she was thankful for as it took some of the awkwardness out of the situation. Soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she spied the usual cluttered shelf off against the left wall that she always wished she could tidy, and before her she could see the light turned on in James room. The layout of their home gave the siblings little privacy from each other, as their doorways were simple arches without covering. She assumed if it had bothered one of them, Elena would have constructed proper doors for them. She could deny it all she wants, but Sonja knew Elena loved her brother.

To make herself known, Sonja lightly tapped her knuckles against the archway of James' room before peeking in. She saw the merchant sitting at his desk, his boots kicked off and his eccentric brown hat resting on one of the poles of his bed. His long blonde hair was untied and pulled over one of his shoulders, and blue eyes were focused on a book in front of him. Upon hearing the tap, he lifted his head towards the doorway and upon seeing Sonja, he smiled.

"Good evening, Sonja." James greeted as he placed his bookmark in-between the pages he was reading. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Sonja shook her head, "No, I just talked to Elena, actually. I'm going to be spending the night. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." James closed his book and left it on his desk, turning in his chair so his attention was drawn to Sonja. "Is there anything I can get you? A drink, perhaps?"

Sonja was about to deny the offer, but it made her pay attention to how thirsty she actually felt. The whole ordeal before arriving had dried her throat. She nodded her head gratefully, "A drink would be nice."

"I'll be right back. Please, make yourself at home." James said warmly. Sonja watched as he stood up from his chair and excused himself from the room before heading downstairs.

While James was gone, Sonja moved through the next open archway and into Elena's room. The light was off, but it was lit enough from the light in James' room to see where she was going. Sonja always found amusement in Elena's room. It was surprisingly girly in contrast to Elena's tomboy attitude. That was, if you disregarded the golem pieces sitting against her wall. Other than that, her pink bed spread, wooden dresser and the ornaments that sat on top of it showed another side to the petite blacksmith.

Sonja set her bag down beside Elena's dresser and quickly untied her boots before slipping them off. Remembering how Elena had commented on how she looked nervous, Sonja took this moment to check her appearance in the mirror above her dresser. The first thing she noticed was that the silly tiara was still firmly planted on her head, and she quickly pulled it off and dropped it into her bag. Running around in a terrified panic was enough without _that_ being added onto it.

She did seem a little pale, but hoped that would wear off if she could get herself to focus on something else until she was able to sleep. Noting that her hair was rather messy from not brushing it after swimming, Sonja used Elena's bristled brush that sat on her dresser to comb out her tangles. She knew Elena wouldn't mind – she was more generous and warm-hearted than she let on. She flicked at the ends of her hair as she noticed it was starting to grow out. Normally, she had her hair chopped up to her chin, but now it extended an inch or two below. That's what happens when a man is controlling your body. He doesn't take care of _anything_.

Sonja put the brush back down and returned to James room, which held just about the same set up as Elena's. She crossed over to his bed and tucked a leg underneath her before she sat down onto his blue spread. She glanced around, taking interest in whatever he chose to decorate his room with while she waited for him to return.

The sound of light steps was barely heard over the clinking of steel and James returned with a mug in either hand. With a polite smile, he handed one to Sonja, which she thankfully took, before sitting himself down sideways in his chair so that he faced her. "Hot chocolate. Hope you like it."

"Thank you. I love hot chocolate." Sonja said with a smile. She should have known. James' sweet tooth wasn't exactly a secret. She wondered how he could keep his alabaster skin so clear if he was prone to snacking on cakes and puddings. She studied James over the rim of her cup, the steam and rich smell of chocolate tickling her nose. With blue eyes and soft long blonde hair, he was very pretty for a man.

"So, I've picked up a deal on one of the neighbouring islands." James said after he lowered his mug from his lips and held it between his hands, his elbows set on both the back of his chair and the top of his desk. "Transporting horses."

"Oh, good for you." Sonja smiled over her own cup before taking a careful sip, waiting for it to become slightly cooler so she could enjoy it more without worrying about burning her tongue. "Where do you have to go for that?"

"Thankfully nowhere." James smiled as a look of curiosity came over Sonja. "I just set up the trade. Purchased horses in one town and I'm moving them to sell in the next. The deal has already been made, they just need to get there and I have hired a few men to do so."

"That's nice that you don't have to do the work yourself."

"It is." James agreed with a nod, "There is fun in traveling but being required to do it all the time makes it lose its thrill. I would like to stay on the island more often and only leave for pleasure, so I am trying to find more deals that can be done through distance."

"Smart. I hope everything goes well." Sonja lifted the hot chocolate to her lips and, finding the temperature suitable, she took a longer drink this time. She allowed the rich taste to slip across her tongue and down her throat. She forgot when the last time was that she had anything with chocolate and she was cursing herself for not doing so sooner. This was _heaven_.

"Perhaps I could take you out for dinner sometime."

Sonja nearly choked on her hot chocolate. She moved the cup from her face as she coughed and sputtered, her other hand placed upon her chest. She cleared her throat before taking in a deep breath.

"Sorry, was that out of line?" James asked shyly as he released one of his hands from his cup to bring his hair back over his shoulder. "I just wanted to celebrate the good deal I made."

"No, I just, uh-" Sonja cleared her throat again before looking over at James, her smile coming back to her face, "I just didn't expect that."

James lightly laughed, glad that he hadn't made Sonja uncomfortable. "I'm usually quite articulate and charismatic, but you, ah-" James cut himself off by clearing his throat, "Nevermind." He strummed his free fingers on the side of his mug, "So, uh-"

"Hm?"

"Was that a no?"

Sonja shook her head, "No. I mean, no it wasn't a no. Yes, I would like to go to dinner with you."

"I guess we're both not very good with our words today."

"I guess not."

The pair laughed and drained their mugs, warmed and soothed by the delicious hot chocolate. James took Sonja's mug and placed it with his own on his desk.

"I should get to bed now." Sonja said as she stood herself up from James' bed, "Thanks for everything."

"Thank you for the company." James replied as he stood up in a courtly fashion. "Do you have everything you need for bed? Enough blankets? Something to sleep in?"

"Oh…" Sonja placed a hand to her cheek at the realization that she hadn't brought anything with her in terms of sleep-wear. She had darted out of the church so fast that she hadn't had time to think of anything like that. She couldn't tell James that, however, so instead she simply smiled, "I forgot pajamas."

"I can at least give you a shirt to sleep in."

"You don't have to do that."

"Nonsense. I can't have you sleep in your clothes." James stood up and crossed over towards his dresser, pulling open the middle drawer. He shuffled his hands through the contents before pulling out a plain white tee. He held it out towards Sonja sheepishly, "I hope it isn't too tasteless. My other shirts wouldn't be too comfortable…"

Sonja gave a gentle laugh before thankfully taking the shirt handed to her, "It's fine. Thank you." She picked herself up off of the bed and smiled at James, "Goodnight, and thanks again for everything."

"Anytime."

* * *

_Darkness. Complete, total darkness was all Sonja could see. Each step forward made her feel more lost, and the ground beneath her felt so fragile that one misstep could send her falling further into the abyss. She wanted to call out, but her voice was lost and she could hardly manage a croak. She felt lost, but not unwatched._

_"Hello?" She finally managed to call out, but once she tried to yell louder, nothing came out. She spun around on her heel, trying to find some kind of light or life. She spun around and around until she stopped dead in her tracks as she stared back at her own self._

_Except no, this wasn't her. That callous smirk, that narrow of the brows…that wasn't her at all._

_But the poisonous voice echoing her 'hello' was all too familiar._

_"What are you doing? What are you doing to me?!" Sonja tried yelling, but it all came out as a distressed whisper._

_Her reflection laughed at her exposed weakness. "I'm not doing a thing, my dear."_

_"Yes you are! The mask! You're taunting me!"_

_"Am I?" Her reflection asked with mock innocence. The coy smile never once left._

_Sonja stared back, wanting to stare hard and yell at her reflection to go away. Instead she felt like she wanted to cry. "Why are you doing this to me?"_

_"Because," Her reflection's voice echoed around her, suddenly becoming deafening without needing to yell. It suddenly disappeared, and she was left alone again, submissive to the darkness around her._

_"You flawed me."_

Sonja jolted awake, clutching the corner of her blanket so hard that her knuckles began to turn white. She breathed heavily as she took in her surroundings, confused until she remembered that she had taken Elena's bed for the night. Once she heard the faded 'clink!' of steel against steel did she take a deep breath and loosen her grip.

Only now realizing that she had lifted her head from the pillow, Sonja slowly laid it back down and tried closing her eyes. As her vile reflection came back into her mind, her eyes shot opened again and she stifled an exhausted whine.

She sat up in Elena's bed and curiously looked over to the doorway. Fighting with a particular thought, Sonja decided to jump out of bed and carefully step into the adjoining room.

Looking into the dark room that was dimly lit by the opened window letting in moonlight, Sonja inched closer to get a look at the sleeping form of James. Part of her had hoped he also couldn't sleep so that they could keep each other company until she was comfortable enough to try sleeping again – her nerves had gotten the better of her. However, he remained perfectly asleep – his blonde hair was strewn about his shoulders and back as he slept on his stomach, shirt off as he hugged his pillow and his sheet gathered about his waist.

A brief feeling of jealousy came over Sonja about how he could _still_ be pretty even as he slept, but that feeling left as quickly as it came.

As if aware of her presence, James' blue eyes fluttered open. Sonja froze in embarrassment as James shifted his eyes upwards and noticed her. His cheeks flushed and he pushed the corners of his pillow up to his face to hide it, "Are you okay, Sonja?"

"Uh," Sonja croaked. She cleared her throat before gingerly scratching at her temple, "I…I had another nightmare and I was wondering…" Sonja coughed nervously into her hand as they started becoming clammy. She took a deep breath, remembering that her and James were friends and it was okay.

"Could I perhaps…sleep with you tonight?"

James stared blankly at Sonja, his cheeks heating further as he stared at the sleepy, bed-headed girl.

"I mean sleeping! Sleeping in the same bed! Not! Um!"

"I-I know what you meant."

"Oh." _God damnit Sonja._

"I don't see why not." James said as he let a smile slip onto his face, one that was wider than he meant to portray. He shifted towards the wall on his bed and adjusted the blanket to make room.

Sonja let out a relieved sigh as she put a hand to her chest, "Thanks. I'm sorry about this…"

"Anytime." James said as Sonja began tucking herself into bed. Catching his words, he sputtered, "I mean, I hope you don't have nightmares, I mean that—"

"I know what you meant."

"Oh."

Sonja lightly snickered at their own mix ups. It was calming to know she wasn't the only one being awkward. She rolled onto her side so that she faced the room, her back to James and pulled the covers up over her shoulder.

It only took a few moments for James to fall back asleep. Sonja listened to his rhythmic breathing, comforted by the presence of another before soon drifting back off, this time free of frightening images.


End file.
